I live my life in widening circles
that reach out across the world.
I may not complete this last one
but I give myself to it.
I circle around God, around the primordial tower.
I've been circling for thousands of years
and I still don't know: am I a falcon,
a storm, or a great song?
--Rainer Maria Rilke--
(Rilke's Book of Hours: Love Poem to God. Translated by Anita Barrows and Joana Macy)
--Rainer Maria Rilke--
(Rilke's Book of Hours: Love Poem to God. Translated by Anita Barrows and Joana Macy)
A member of the group presented the above poem for discussion. It certainly is a beautiful poem and fits the venue perfectly, but for some reason the discussion did not take off.
Instead there were other discussions as listed below.
The group discussed various group meetings and their dynamics. I volunteered that when I used to be at parties, I often remember that the women went off to their own group and at first discussed what their day was like, then maybe they talked about their family, and then the discussion seemed to invariably settle into the women talking about their labor and delivery. I used to get tired of these discussions and would go and join the men. Someone commented that indeed a woman's delivery is a very big event for her and perhaps that is why it is the end discussion for all these young women. For their part, the men also had a fairly set sequence of discussion also. they started out talking about their workplace, then maybe golf or one of their own sports, and inevitably then the discussion would center on spectator sports of some sort, especially the one that was in season at the time. One audience member felt that this talk of sports for men is a way for them to show their feelings perhaps in a metaphorical way. Sports metaphors are indeed very common in male groups and it perhaps is a way for men to show their feelings in an acceptable way. Indeed discussions of sports are a way for men and even women to connect. Sports provide a camaraderie, and also demonstrate and teach certain values. Good coaches have much to teach young people. A sports team, even a pick up game is an instant sangha -- it is a community.
The question came up about modern electronic gaming. It is sometimes belittled. But someone cited an example where a group of scientists tried to use a supercomputer to figure out how a certain protein folded on itself in nature. But then a group of gamers were able to figure out the answer and more or less outdid the supercomputer. The gamers seemed top have a superior sense of spatial relations and were able to decipher the shape of the protein molecules.
Dave gave a detailed description of the Ropes Course that is utilized at Milwaukee Public Schools. A ropes course is a challenging outdoor personal development and team building activity which usually consists of high and/or low elements. Low elements take place on the ground or only a few feet above the ground. High elements are usually constructed in trees or made of utility poles and require a belay for safety. These courses have been used from organized programs like Outward Bound and a very difficult course for the Marine Corps training, to simpler and lower skilled but team building courses used by the Boy Scouts, many schools, and even recreationally at certain Adventure parks. In general, these courses are thought to enhance cooperation, decision making, self confidence, social cohesion, trust, self esteem, leadership. goal setting and teamwork. Though these courses are cited as improving these values and these personal characteristics, no research has been done to determine whether these courses do this and if so which are better or worse. Dave said that in the ropes courses that he has moderated, they usually start by sitting in a circle and discussing the goals of the challenges. Simple examples might include tying each other's shoe strings, using only one hand, then when that becomes too easy, doing it blindfolded. Another example is cooperating to keep a group of balloons up in the air and not letting them touch the ground. To do any of these challenges, you need to communicate and work together. After the courses are run the group sits in a circle again to discuss what happened.
The group then spent some time discussing social media and how to control your use, and the identity issues that might become negative consequences of its use.
Tom R quoted someone: "Psychiatry is the study of the id by the odd."
"Resilience is a blend between chaos (ADHD) and rigidity (OCD)."
At the end of the session we read a few paragraphs from the article at the following link:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/01/sunday-review/where-have-all-the-neurotics-gone.html?pagewanted=all
Instead there were other discussions as listed below.
The group discussed various group meetings and their dynamics. I volunteered that when I used to be at parties, I often remember that the women went off to their own group and at first discussed what their day was like, then maybe they talked about their family, and then the discussion seemed to invariably settle into the women talking about their labor and delivery. I used to get tired of these discussions and would go and join the men. Someone commented that indeed a woman's delivery is a very big event for her and perhaps that is why it is the end discussion for all these young women. For their part, the men also had a fairly set sequence of discussion also. they started out talking about their workplace, then maybe golf or one of their own sports, and inevitably then the discussion would center on spectator sports of some sort, especially the one that was in season at the time. One audience member felt that this talk of sports for men is a way for them to show their feelings perhaps in a metaphorical way. Sports metaphors are indeed very common in male groups and it perhaps is a way for men to show their feelings in an acceptable way. Indeed discussions of sports are a way for men and even women to connect. Sports provide a camaraderie, and also demonstrate and teach certain values. Good coaches have much to teach young people. A sports team, even a pick up game is an instant sangha -- it is a community.
The question came up about modern electronic gaming. It is sometimes belittled. But someone cited an example where a group of scientists tried to use a supercomputer to figure out how a certain protein folded on itself in nature. But then a group of gamers were able to figure out the answer and more or less outdid the supercomputer. The gamers seemed top have a superior sense of spatial relations and were able to decipher the shape of the protein molecules.
Dave gave a detailed description of the Ropes Course that is utilized at Milwaukee Public Schools. A ropes course is a challenging outdoor personal development and team building activity which usually consists of high and/or low elements. Low elements take place on the ground or only a few feet above the ground. High elements are usually constructed in trees or made of utility poles and require a belay for safety. These courses have been used from organized programs like Outward Bound and a very difficult course for the Marine Corps training, to simpler and lower skilled but team building courses used by the Boy Scouts, many schools, and even recreationally at certain Adventure parks. In general, these courses are thought to enhance cooperation, decision making, self confidence, social cohesion, trust, self esteem, leadership. goal setting and teamwork. Though these courses are cited as improving these values and these personal characteristics, no research has been done to determine whether these courses do this and if so which are better or worse. Dave said that in the ropes courses that he has moderated, they usually start by sitting in a circle and discussing the goals of the challenges. Simple examples might include tying each other's shoe strings, using only one hand, then when that becomes too easy, doing it blindfolded. Another example is cooperating to keep a group of balloons up in the air and not letting them touch the ground. To do any of these challenges, you need to communicate and work together. After the courses are run the group sits in a circle again to discuss what happened.
The group then spent some time discussing social media and how to control your use, and the identity issues that might become negative consequences of its use.
Tom R quoted someone: "Psychiatry is the study of the id by the odd."
"Resilience is a blend between chaos (ADHD) and rigidity (OCD)."
At the end of the session we read a few paragraphs from the article at the following link:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/01/sunday-review/where-have-all-the-neurotics-gone.html?pagewanted=all
No comments:
Post a Comment